Container and fixture combination



Feb. 6, 1968 R. A. SAMSING 3,367,4 2

CONTAINER AND FIXTURE COMBINATION Filed Oct. 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l vFIG. I

mvEN rox- ROLF As/amme BY S g aha-g a/am w Feb. 6, 1968 R. A. SAMSING CONTAINER AND FIXTURE COMBINATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 15, 1965 FIG. 6

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INVENTOR. RGLFASAMSING BY fid @afimjm His Rife/ways United States Patent 3,367,482 CONTAINER AND FIXTURE COMBINATIQN Rolf A. Samsing, Braintree, Mass, assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 496,630 10 Claims. (Cl. 20616) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An open tray, suitably made of a clear plastic material, for holding a cartridge for a band razor in such a manner that the cartridge, while Within the tray, may be locked in the holder to form a safety razor, whereupon the tray is removed from the razor.

This invention comprises a combined container for a blade cartridge and fixture for assembling the cartridge in interlocking relation with a holder therefor to form a safety razor.

In general it is the object of the invention to provide a safe and secure container for packaging, transportation and sales display of the cartridge and having also the important and useful function of a fixture for locating the cartridge and a holder therefor accurately in position to be assembled or attached and as readily detached whenever that is desired.

The cartridge is a separate article of merchandise that may be sold both with the holder therefor and as a separate source of supply for fresh sharp blade edges such as, for example, in the form of a continuous band blade.

The preferred form of the combined container and fi ture comprises a rectangular tray with upstanding walls for engaging and positively positioning the shank and head of a blade cartridge and another wall located at a predetermined distance from the head of the cartridge such as to receive a flanged-shaped portion of the holder, whereupon the cartridge may be fully inserted in the holder and snapped in place therein, while the cartridge is still within the tray. The user thereof may therefore replace his blade cartridge Without even touching it thus avoiding any possibility of contacting the sharpened edge of the blade in the cartridge. The empty container tray may be snapped onto the head of the assembled razor and serve as a razor head protector or as a receptacle for a spent cartridge for disposal.

These and other advantages of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings in Which FIG. 1 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the blade cartridge within the combined container and fixture,

FIG. 2 is a similar view in perspective on a smaller scale,

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation with the side wall and a portion of the cartridge broken away,

FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing the safety razor in assembled position within the container and the holder in phantom prior to assembly with the cartridge,

FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9, are views of the empty container and fixture corresponding to FIGS. 14,

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, are fragmentary views of one of the ribbed side walls of the container, and

FIG. 13 is a front end view of the assembled holder and cartridge.

The blade cartridge herein shown comprises generally a body or shank portion in which supply and take-up coils of a ribbon blade are housed and a transversely expanded head portion 11 which includes an elongated, fiat,

Fee

transversely extending blade supporting surface 12 which defines a shaving zone for a portion of the blade 24 between the supply and take-up coils. A plurality of spaced blade hold-down elements 13 project forwardly from the rear of the cartridge part way over the surface 12 to maintain the blade 24 in the shaving zone in a generally flat condition when the cartridge is not mounted in a holder. The head of the cartridge is also provided with a transversely extending guard 14 which is slightly below and projects forwardly of the blade supporting surface 12.

The blade cartridge is adapted to be removably received in a holder generally indicated at 21 to form therewith a safety razor. The holder may include at its upper end a head 16 having a forwardly projecting lip 16a and a web 16:! rigidly connected to a handle 21. The lip 16a is provided with slots 16c (FIG.13) adapted to receive in mating relationship the hold-down elements 13 on the cartridge head for positioning and insuring proper registration of the cartridge in the holder. The lip 16a extends uninterrupted from one side of the head to the other side and has a substantially flat blade-engaging land surface 16b on the under side of the rearwardly angled forward edge of the lip.

A blade strip advancing lever 29 is mounted on the head and carries a drive pin carrier 25 adapted to drivingly engage a lug or pin 19a of the blade take-up arbor 19. One full turn of the lever 20 will advance a fresh section of the blade 24 from the supply coil to the shaving zone and coil the used section of the blade on the take-up arbor.

A pivotally mounted snap action latch 22 is provided on the holder in a recessed area in the upper portion of the handle. The latch 22 includes an upstanding locking ear 22a which engages the lower front portion of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted in the holder and the latch is in the position shown in FIG. 2. Latch 22 also includes a thumb piece 22b and a flat, forwardly projecting cam element 220 which engages and bears against an inclined surface 29 in the rear of the underside of the cartridge to partially eject the cartridge When the thumb piece 22]) is depressed.

A cartridge locating element 28 is secured to the inside surface of the web 21 and is received within a recess 18 in the back of the cartridge head to guide the cartridge into correct seating relationship with respect to the head of the holder during assembly.

For a more detailed description of the construction of the cartridge and holder therefor reference is made to copending application Ser. No. 305,734 entitled Magazine for a Ribbon-Like Shaving Blade filed by Warren I. Nissen on July 1, 1963.

The container and fixture comprises a rectangular tray having a bottom 4t), side walls 41, and a front end Wall 42 as best shown in FIGS. 6-9. The tray also has a rear end wall 43 which is provided with a ribbed gate 43' and in the foot of this gate is provided a notch 44. A transverse rib 17 projects from the bottom 40 of the tray for engagement with a corresponding slot in the front face of the cartridge underneath the guard 14.

The side Walls 41 are provided with internal rearwardly inclined ribs 45 which are arranged to engage the blade cartridge at opposite ends of its head 11 when the cartridge is placed in the tray. The ribs 45 are associated with curved guides and latching elements 46 which assist in the proper entry of the cartridge into the holder and releasably retain the cartridge within the tray. Its entered position is best shown in FIG. 1 wherein it will be noted that the opposite ends of the head of the cartridge are engaged by the Walls 41 of the tray and thus held secure against any transverse movement. The shank or body portion of the cartridge is fitted into the ribbed gate 43' in the inner wall of the tray thus holding that portion of the cartridge against movement in either direction. Meanwhile the transverse groove in the face of the cartridge has engagcd the transverse rib in the bottom of the tray, and the latching elements 46 on the side walls 41 have snapped over the sides of the head 11 as better seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The cartridge is thus positively engaged at each side of the bottom of the body portion and at each side of the head by the transverse bar 17 on its face and to the rear of each side of the head by the projecting elements 46 and is thus positively positioned within the tray.

In assembling the holder with the cartridge, the lip 16a of the head of the holder is inserted as suggested in FIG. 5 between the front end wall 42 of the tray and the front end of the blade cartridge, and the head of the holder is pressed firmly against the forward edge of the back of the cartridge to cause the blade hold down elements 13 to register Within the slots 160 in the lip 16a and to extend partway therethrough. When this preliminary engagement has been effected, the handle has merely to be rocked downwardly as suggested in FIG. 5 and in this step the locating element 28 enters the recess 18, the stud of the drive pin carrier 25 enters the hub of the take-up arbor 19, the cam element 226 of the latch 22 engages the inclined surface 29 in the rear wall of the cartridge and finally the locking ear 22a makes locking engagement with the front wall of the cartridge. The latch 22 may be depressed by finger pressure to release the razor handle for separation from the cartridge while the latter remains securely held at its various points of engagement with the walls and ribs of the tray.

The back of the cartridge container may be sealed by a suitable cover or packaged in a blister card, or may be packaged with the cartridge clamped within a holder as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A combined container for a blade cartridge having shank and head portions and fixture for assembling the cartridge in interlocking relation with a holder having a forwardly extending lip to form therewith a safety razor, comprising a tray having upstanding side walls, a rear end wall slotted and internally ribbed to receive and transversely locate the shank portion of the cartridge and a front end wall, the said side walls having ribs for engaging the opposite ends of the cartridge head and holding it securely in spaced relation to the front end wall of the tray whereby the lip portion of the holder may be located Within the front end wall of the tray to bring the holder into interlocking engagement with the blade cartridge.

2. A combined container for a blade cartridge having shank and head portions and a fixture for insuring the assembly of the cartridge in interlocking relation with a holder having a forwardly extending lip to form therewith a safety razor, comprising a tray having upstanding walls for engaging and positively positioning the shank portion and head portion of a blade cartridge, and another wall located a predetermined distance from the thuspositioned cartridge to provide a space to receive the lip of the holder whereby the cartridge, while still in the tray, may be brought into locking engagement with the holder.

3. A combined container and a generally T-shaped cartridge comprising a tray with upstanding walls making positive internal engagement at three locations in the periphery of said cartridge and holding it in a predetermined spaced relation from an unobstructed Wall of the tray defining space for a part of a cartridge holder.

4. A combined container and cartridge as described in claim 3, further characterized in that the face of the cartridge is provided with a transverse recess, and the bottom of the tray is provided with a rib for interfitting therewith.

5. A combined container and cartridge as described in claim 3, further characterized in that opposed upstanding side walls of the tray are provided with inwardly projecting ribs for guiding the blade cartridge into a seated position in the tray and means resiliently snapping behind the back wall of the cartridge to releasably retain it therein.

6. A combined container and fixture for a blade cartridge having a notched rear wall comprising a tray having opposed side walls and a gated rear Wall, said walls including means for positively locating and holding the blade cartridge with its rear wall exposed in position to receive the latch of a cartridge holder.

7. A combined container for a blade cartridge having shank and head portions and a fixture for assembling the cartridge in interlocking relation With a holder therefor to form therewith a safety razor comprising a generally rectangular tray having a bottom and upstanding side and end walls, one of said end walls having a gate therein, a notch in the bottom in the center of said gate, ribs extending inwardly from each side of said gate and having divergent cartridgeengaging surfaces, said side walls having internal rearwardly inclined surfaces for guiding the head of the cartridge during assembly, latching elements on the inside surfaces of the side walls spaced from the bottom by a distance somewhat larger than the thickness of the cartridge head so as to extend behind the head of the cartridge to releasably retain it in place, and a rib in the bottom of the tray adapted to be received within a recess in the face of the cartridge, the other end wall being so located with respect to the cartridge locating elements as to provide a space in front of the head of the cartridge to permit the entry of a lip of a cartridge holder to make interlocking engagement with the cartridge.

8. A combined container for a blade cartridge having shank and head portions and fixture for assembling the cartridge in interlocking relation with a holder, said holder including a lip and latching means spaced from the lip to receive a cartridge therebetween and, respectively, engage the head portion and shank portion thereof, comprising a tray with upstanding side Walls and a front Wall, said side walls including means for engaging and positively positioning the head of a cartridge a predetermined distance from the front wall to provide a space for receiving the lip of the holder, the tray providing unobstructed access to the shank portion, whereby the blade cartridge can be assembled to the holder while within the tray.

9. A combined container and fixture as described in claim 8, further characterized in that the tray bottom is shaped to make interlocking connection with the face of the cartridge.

10. A combined container and fixture as described in claim 8, further characterized in that the tray includes means making interlocking connection with the shank of the cartridge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,196,786 4/1940 Wahl 206l6 2,432,818 12/1947 Schults 206-16 2,792,108 5/1957 Feller 206l6 2,795,325 6/1957 Smith 206-46 2,935,183 5/1960 Barnes 20616 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner. 

